Bethesda teases Doom VFR, Fallout 4 VR launches

Gaming giant Bethesda has announced it is plunging feet-first into the world of virtual reality, relaunching two of its most popular titles as new VR editions: Doom VFR and Fallout 4 VR.

Unveiled during the company's keynote presentation at the Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) this weekend, Doom VFR - the 'F' likely standing in for the same word it does in the classic Doom weapon family BFG - is more than a simple mod for the existing Doom reboot. Showcased as a short one-minute trailer, Doom VFR was revealed as a ground-up rethink of the title with the benefits - and limitations - of virtual reality at the forefront: The player travels by teleporting from spot to spot as a means of avoiding the motion sickness that comes from the player character running around while the real-world player stays stock still, while the player interacts with the world using disembodied hands linked to the motion controllers of the HTC Vive as well as Sony's PlayStation VR.

Fallout 4 VR, meanwhile, takes the riskier approach of allowing for free movement - meaning the player character can run, jump, and sidestep just as in the original Fallout 4, offering wider freedom than Doom VFR but at the risk of the player proper experiencing motion sickness as a result. The entirety of the Fallout 4 world is present and correct, with additional interactivity options tied again to the motion controllers of the HTC Vive.

Sadly, Bethesda's presentations on the two were short in the extreme: Beyond the teaser trailers, each only fractionally longer than a minute including VR-headset-animation at the start, little extra information was given. What Bethesda did reveal is that Fallout 4 VR will be launching in October as a PC exclusive; Doom VFR, meanwhile, received no firm launch date but was revealed as being compatible with the HTC Vive and Sony's PlayStation VR.